Sink rim clip device



Dec. 22, 1970 J, BYERS ET AL 3,548,422

SINK RIM CLIP DEVICE 'Filed NOV. 22, 1968 JOHN E. BYERS WELLS H.CLAUSSEN IN\-'I5NTORS.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O Int. Cl. E03c 1/18 U.S. Cl. 4-187 12Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clip body having a lower leg and anupper leg disclosed generally at right angles to each other, said upperleg having a downwardly-turned hook portion overlying said lower leg andadapted to be engaged in the upturned bottom edge or lip of a T-shapedsink strip. The upper leg also has an eye portion for receiving opposeddepending pivot arms of a toggle body. The toggle body includes an uppersupport having a curved, generally perpendicularly depending head with aflattened strip along its top surface for engaging against theperipheral flange of a sink. The toggle body also has a lower handleportion for actuating the head into engagement with the sink. In oneform the head and handle are on opposite sides of the pivot whereas in amodification adapted for cast iron sinks having thicker peripheralflanges, the head and handle are on the same side of the pivot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates generally to devices for securing a sink or basin within anopening in a counter top and, more particularly, relates to clip devicesfor securing the peripheral flange of the sink to a T-shaped sink rimthat rests over the corner of the counter top surrounding the openingfor the sink.

Description of the prior art One prior art technique for installing asink is shown in the patent to Biddle 524,477. In this patent abifurcated clamping piece is pivoted against a peripheral lip of a sinkwhich in turn is pressed upwardly against the underside of the countertop. The clamping piece rests on a fulcrum of a rod secured within thecounter top and is pivoted by a handle F. This technique came intodisuse many years ago possibly because the surface of the counter topsurrounding the bowl of the sink was exposed to water and rapidlydeteriorated, thus leaving an unsightly appearance. In addition, theprocedure for installing the fulcrum rods was time consuming andexpensive. It also, invariably involved fabrication at a shop where thenecessary materials for installing the rods were available rather thanin situ in the home.

An improved technique was then developed which involved placing aT-shaped sink strip or rim around the corner of the hole in the countertop with one arm of the T resting on the counter top and the other armoverlying the peripheral flange of the sink. The body of the T abutsagainst the vertical edge of the hole in the counter top. Several clipsare then secured to the underside of the counter top and the sink strip.The clips are pressed upwardly against the peripheral flange of the sinkto suspend the sink in the counter top opening. Two prior art clips usedwith this technique are shown in the patents to Switzer 2,858,548 and2,947,005. The clips shown in both of these patents require the use of aswaging tool of a 3,548,422 Patented Dec. 22, 1970 specializedconstruction to deform the metal of the sink strip into openings on theclips. It is, of course, inconvenient to require a specialized tool andthe tool is difficult to manipulate in the crowded environment beneath asink when installed in situ.

A still further improved technique, and one commonly used today, is touse a T-shape sink rim, the lower edge of which is upturned inwardly toform a lip. The usual practice in the use of this type of sink rim is tohook the center of a long, flat clamping piece into the upturned rim andthen thread a cap screw upwardly through a threaded hole in the clampingpiece until the end of the cap screw abuts. against the underside of theperipheral flange of the sink. The hook of the clamping piece will thuspull downwardly against the sink rim while the cap screw presses thesink flange tightly against the free arm of the sink rim. The diflicultyin using a clamp device re quiring a cap screw is that under the crowdedenvironment beneath a sink installed in situ in a house it is virtuallyimpossible to tighten all of the cap screws without the use of a specialscrewdriver. Even with the use of the special screwdriver the procedureis time consuming and where particularly crowded conditions occur theproper number of slips may never get used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a clamping orclip device for installing a sink in a counter top either in situ in thehome or in a shop. It is especially adapted for use with a T-shaped sinkrim having an upturned bottom edge. An advantageous feature is that notool is required to install the clips, that is, the clip is easilyactuated by pressure of the workmans thumb. In addition, the clip may bepositioned and actuated with one hand and the Workman need not have theclip in sight during the installation.

Basically the invention comprises a two-piece assembly formed byinter-locked latch and toggle means. The latch means includes a hookportion that fits into the upturned lip of the sink rim and alsoincludes a pivot support or eye for supporting the toggle means. Thetoggle means includes a head at one end that engages against theunderside of the peripheral flange of the sink and a pivot portionhaving pivot means engaged in the eye of the latch means. A handleportion for pivoting the head into supporting engagement with the sinkflange is also included in the toggle means. The head extends in onedirection to accommodate a sink having a thin peripheral flange, such asa stainless steel sink, and extends in the opposite direction in amodified form to accommodate a sink having a thick peripheral flangesuch as on a cast iron sink. The clip is inexpensive to manufacture andmay be installed by workmen having no specialized skills.

BRIEF DECRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric of acounter top with a basin or sink installed.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing aclip device, made according to the principles of the invention, actuatedin a supporting position for an installed sink.

FIG. 3 is an isometric illustration of the clip device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showingthe inter-engagement between the two parts of the clip device.

FIG. 5 is a section taken generally along the same lines as in FIG. 2but showing a modified form of the clip device advantageously adaptedfor sinks having thick peripheral flanges.

As best shown in FIG. 1, a basin or sink is suspended within an openingin a counter top 12 with the space between the sink and the counter topcovered by a T-shaped sink rim 14. The sink, as is customary, includes apcripheral flange 16 which is aligned flush with the top surface of thecounter top. Although not necessary, the counter top is covered with awater and stain resistant material, such as a laminated plastic sheet17. The T- shaped sink rim or strip 14 includes an outer arm 18 whichabuts against the top surface of the plastic sheet and an inner arm 19that overlies the peripheral flange 16 of the sink. The body 20 of therim abuts against the edge of the counter top that defines the openingfor the sink. The bottom end of the rim is bent inwardly and upwardly toform a lip 22. Generally the rim is made of aluminum or stainless steelso that when installed it presents a highly polished top surface thatattractively covers the opening between the counter top and the sink. Inaddition, the rim when installed tightly abuts against both theperipheral flange of the sink and the plastic sheet on the counter topand precludes water or food from passing between the sink and thecounter top.

The clip for suspending the sink 10 upon the sink rim 14 is best shownin FIGS. 2 and 3. The clip is a unitary assembly ready for installationand includes latch means 24 interlocked with toggle means 26. Latchmeans 24 include a lower leg 28 and an upper leg 30. The lower leg hasan upturned end 32 which abuts against the underside of the counter top12 when the clip is installed. The upper leg has an outwardly dependinghook 34 that overlies the lower leg and is adapted to be engaged withinthe lip 22 of the sink rim when the clip is installed. The upper legalso includes a pair of spaced pivot supports or eyes 36.

The toggle means 26 includes a pivot portion defined by a pair ofopposed pivot arms 38. A support portion extends upwardly from the pivotportion and terminates at its upper end in a perpendicularly dependingcurved head or flange 42 which is adapted to engage the under side ofthe peripheral flange 16 of the sink. The top surface of the head isprovided with a flattened strip 44 to assist in locking the head againstthe sink flange. Depending from the opposite end of the pivot portionand at a right angle to the support portion is a handle or actuatingportion 46.

The technique for installing the clip is best shown in FIG. 2. With thesink raised into position the hook 34 of the latch means 24 is placedinto the upturned lip 22 of the sink rim 14. The upturned end 32 of thelatch means will swing into engagement with the undersurface of thecounter top 12. The toggle means 26 will be out of engagement with thesink rim and will be in the position shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2.To lock the clip into engagement with the peripheral flange 16 of thesink to thus support the sink in the opening in the counter top, thetoggle means is pivoted counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, bypressing upwardly on the handle 46. The head 42 will then be moved intoengagement with the underside of the peripheral flange and will come torest with the head abutting both the underside of the peripheral flangeand the body 20 of the sink rim 14. The flattened strip 44 helps tosecure the head against accidental disengagement with the peripheralflange. As is readily apparent, the head 42, when installed in asuspending position, engages the peripheral flange to the left of thepivot axis of the pivot arms 38. In this manner the downward pressureimposed by the weight of the sink tends to rate the head further in thecounterclockwise direction thus forcing the head into engagement withthe body of the rim in a locking position. Rotation of the head may alsobe stopped by the support portion engaging the back of the hook 34. Itis thus virtually impossible for the clip to be accidentally disengagedfrom the sink flange. If it does become necessary to intentionallyremove the sink, it is a simple matter to grasp 4 the handle 46 of thetoggle means 26 and pivot the toggle means into an inoperative position.

In the modification shown in FIG. 5, the T-shaped rim 14 and the latchmeans 24 are identical with that of the preferred embodiment. The sinkto be supported, however, has a peripheral flange 50 which is muchthicker than the peripheral flange 16 in the preferred embodiment. Castiron sinks, for example, customarily have thicker flanges. Toaccommodate for this additional thickness, the toggle means 52, which isidentical to the toggle means 26 in all other respects, is provided witha head 54 that depends in a direction opposite to that of the head 42 inthe preferred embodiment. That is, the head 54 overlies or extends inthe same direction as the handle portion of the toggle means 52. Wheninstalled, as in FIG. 5, the head extends to the right, as viewed inFIG. 5, of the pivot such that the weight of the peripheral flangepresses the toggle means against the inner surface of the hook 34 andthus tends to lock the clip into place. In all other respects themodified form of clip operates and is installed in the same manner asthat of the preferred embodiment.

It will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that other formsand modifications may be made while employing the principles of theinvention. Thus the forms illustrated are by way of example only withthe scope of the invention to be determined solely by the scope andproper interpretation of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sink rim clip device for use on a sink that is supported by itsperipheral flange on a T-shaped sink rim or the like having an upturnedbottom edge and resting on a counter top around the edge of the openingfor the sink, the clip device comprising:

latch means having a hook portion engageable within said sink rimupturned edge and a pivot portion; and

toggle means having a pivot member pivotally locked within said pivotportion of said latch means and a support portion integrally joined withsaid pivot member and being movable from an inoperative position into anoperative position wherein said support portion contacts and supportssaid sink peripheral flange on said sink rim.

2. The clip device defined by claim 1, wherein said support portionincludes a head engageable with said sink flange, said toggle means alsoincluding an actuating portion extending at generally right angles tosaid support portion.

3. The clip device defined by claim 2, wherein said head is curved andis provided with a flattened surface for locking engagement with saidsink flange.

4. The clip device defined by claim 2, wherein said head depends in adirection generally opposite to said actuating portion.

5. The clip device defined by claim 2, wherein said head depends in thesame direction as said actuating portion.

6. The clip device defined by claim 1, wherein said pivot portionincludes a pair of spaced circular rings and said pivot means includes apair of oppositely depending arms nested in said rings.

7. The clip device defined by claim 1, wherein said latch means furtherincludes a lower leg having an upturned end.

8. A sink clamping device for use on sinks having their peripheral edgescovered by T-shaped sink strips or the like having upturned lipsadjacent their bottom edges, comprising:

a clip body having a lower leg and an upper leg disposed generally atright angles to each other, said upper leg having a downwardly turnedhook portion overlying said lower leg and an eye portion extendingoutwardly from said upper leg; and

a toggle body including central, laterally extending pivot arms nestedin said eye portion, an upper support portion integrally forming one endof said toggle body, and a lower handle portion integrally forming anopposite end of said toggle body. 9. The clamping device defined byclaim 8, wherein said support portion includes a curved head. 524,47710. The clamping device defined "by claim 9, wherein 2,858,548 saidcurved head has a flattened strip along its top sur- 5 2,947,005 face.3,143,743

11. The clamping device defined by claim 9, wherein said curved headextends in a direction opposite to said handle portion.

12. The clamping device defined by claim 9, wherein 10 said curved headand said handle portion are on the same side of said toggle body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Biddle 4-187 Switzer 4-187Switzer 4-187 Just 4-187 Cox 4-187 Janson et al. 4-187 LAVERNE D.GEIGER, Primary Examiner J. H. DODGE, Assistant Examiner

